CHCCS411B Work Effectively in the Community
Sector
#1: Working in the Community Sector
& Values that Guide Working Practices
Lesson Outline
1. What is the Community Sector?
2. What do Community Service Workers do?
3. What values underpin Community Service Work?
4. Where do my personal values fit in?
The Community Sector
1. What is the Community Sector?
Community, health, welfare, human services cover a wide range of functions:
• Objective of meeting human needs – individuals, groups, communities, even
humanity as a whole
• Promote, Protect, Maintain, Enhance, Change
Youtube video: The Meaning of Human Services:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4XrBTBN2Ew
The Community Sector
Community Services can be:
• Private sector businesses... For profit organisations, social
enterprises
• Public Sector... Direct government services, e.g. Dept of
Families
• Non-Profit Organisations... Externally funded to deliver
services, i.e. charities
The Community Sector
Health
Child care
Education
Mental health
Corrections
Disability Services
Welfare or social services
Aged care
Family services
Community Development
Legal services
Rehabilitation
Youth work
Employment services
Housing
... AND MORE!
Youtube video: This Could Be You: The Many Faces of Social Work
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77UGDj48oHs&feature=related
The Community Sector
Networking and Interagency Coordination (Joint Working)
• Partnership is the ultimate goal of a healthy functioning
community sector... Not without challenges!
• E.g. Mental Health services working with Alcohol and Other Drugs
services (AOD) with clients who have both mental health and AOD
issues
• Joint working protocols, representation at forums, sharing
resources, cross-sector conferences, swapping training/sharing
skills, joint care plans, information sharing
The Community Sector
Reasons why you need to be aware of the roles of other
organisations that work with your clients;
• A person you work with may require support from more
than one sector
• You may be required to ask for advice from a worker in
another sector to help improve the service you provide
• You need to be aware of additional services that are
available to the person you are working with
The Community Sector
Networking and Interagency Coordination (Joint Working)
Some of the challenges:
• System Silos – history of working in isolation, change is hard
• Time limitations
• Differing service values
• Limited resources
• Difficult to coordinate between agencies
• Lack of awareness of what other services are out there
• Nature of the industry – low funds, high needs, high stress... It can be chaos!
(Note: Imagine trying to coordinate and joint work with a number of these challenges going on)
Youtube video: Three Life Lessons for New Social Workers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b3RJbvOPtU&feature=relatedons
Community Service Workers
2: What are the varying roles a community worker can do?
(In Groups please write down your thoughts)
Personal Requirements
Question: What Skills, Abilities, Attitudes do you think
are needed to become a great community services
worker?
3. Values and Philosophy of the Community Sector:
Youtube video: Managing Values Across
Cultures
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DSV1NUGS3o
Values and Philosophy of the Community Sector
Overarching Principles
• Every human being regardless of ethnicity, age,
gender, beliefs, and socio-economic status, has a right
to maximise their potential providing it doesn’t infringe
upon the rights of others
• Every society has an obligation to provide for and deal
equitably with all it’s members and to make extra
provision for those persons disadvantaged
Values and Philosophy of the Community Sector
Specific Principles to embrace as a worker;
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Holistic and Person-centred approach
Promoting wellbeing of staff, clients, communities
Early intervention
Appropriate services
Commitment to meeting the needs and upholding the rights of people
Belief in empowerment of Individual and community
Ethical behaviour – guided by professional codes of practice
Responsible and Accountable – Duty of Care
Values and Philosophy of the Community Sector
Your Values and Community Sector Values/Principles
To understand our values we can begin by looking at the beliefs that underpin
them.
Our values are determined by our beliefs
Explore where these beliefs have come from...
Many of our earlier beliefs stem from our childhood and our family of origin. Often
these beliefs are not questioned until they are challenged by life experiences.
Have your values matured?
Values and Philosophy of the Community Sector
In examining your own values consider the statement below:
I have no right to try to impose my values on a client
However, I believe that there are times when it is appropriate for me to be open
with a client about my values in order for me to be congruent.
If I have a clear understanding of my own values, I have an inner strength.
I will not need to be defensive in trying to justify my values; they are mine and
they will stand in their own right without the need for justification (Geldard &
Geldard, 2001, p352).
Youtube video: Vanessa Allen - Aboriginal Community Worker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHMrVlUh2Mo
Values and Philosophy of the Community Sector
 Being non-judgmental is not easy, especially in situations where a client’s
values strongly conflict with our own.
 Being emotional, disagreeing and arguing with a client are often warning
signs of values conflict – a button has been pushed and we become
emotionally respondent by the fear of threat to our value system.
 We are all unique individuals and different from each other. Some values
may be similar and some different.
What are your thoughts on values? Which personal values do you think will
be difficult to challenge whilst working in the community sector and why?
References
•An introduction to Person Centred Therapy, online video, accessed 27 May, 2012.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpfm5sY0OX0&feature=relmfu
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Assertiveness - Tips for being assertive & saying 'No‘, online video, accessed 28 May, 2012.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZynhvBShqU
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Bogutz & Gordon - Legal Issues for Mental Health Care Treatment, online video, accessed 28 May, 2012.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmzOmdLpzyg&feature=related
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Building Stronger Communities through Stronger Community Organisations, Our Community.com.au, Policy Bank,
West Melbourne, accessed 20 July, 2012, date site last updated not disclosed
http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/boards/boards_article.jsp?articleId=1453
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Building Stronger Communities through Stronger Community Organisations, Our Community.com.au, Access &
EquityPolicy, West Melbourne, accessed 13July, 2012, date site last updated not disclosed
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www.ourcommunity.com.au/files/boards/Access_&_Equity_Policy.doc
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Chenoweth L & McAuliffe D 2011 The road to social work & human service practice, 3rd edn.,Cengage Learning
Australia.
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Corey G, Corey MS & Callanan P 2011 Issues and ethics in the helping professions, 8th edn., Cengage Learning:
Brookes/Cole , United States.
References
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David Batstone: Unethical Behavior at Work?, online video, accessed 28 May, 2012.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-nz0kojLv8&feature=related
Dept. of Communities, Child Services & Disability Services, 2012, Queensland Government, What is Child
Abuse?, accessed 22 July, 2012, http://www.communities.qld.gov.au/childsafety/protecting-children/what-is-child-abuse
Geldard D & Geldard K 2011 Basic personal counselling : a training manual for counsellors, 7th edn., Frenchs
Forest, N.S.W.Pearson,Sydney.
Kenny S 2011 Developing communities for the future, 4th edn., Cengage Learning Australia.
Lauren Mackler at Harvard Business School - Managing Conflict, online video, accessed 28 May, 2012.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZOVWzKzpNg&feature=related
Maidment J & Egan R (eds) 2009 Practice skills in social work & welfare, 2nd edn., Allen & Unwin, Australia.
Managing Values Across Cultures, online vuideo, accessed 29 May, 2012.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DSV1NUGS3o
McDonald C, Craik C, Hawkins L & Williams J 2011 Professional practice in human services organisations,
Allen & Unwin, Australia.
Nick Manning , 2005, YAPA (Youth Action & Policy Association), Surry hills NSW, accessed 23 July 2012
NSWhttp://www.yapa.org.au/youthwork/facts/dutyofcare.php
Reflective Practice - feedback from peers and learners, online video, accessed 29 May, 2012.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmgJJrxOtaA
References
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The Meaning of Human Services, online video, accessed 30 May, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4XrBTBN2Ew
This Could Be You: The Many Faces of Social Work, online video, accessed May 30, 2012.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77UGDj48oHs&feature=related
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Welcome to the UN, it’s your world, 2012, New
York, accessed 28 May, 2012.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77UGDj48oHs&feature=related
• Three Life Lessons for New Social Workers, online video, accessed May 31, 2012.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b3RJbvOPtU&feature=relatedons
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Vanessa Allen - Aboriginal Community Worker, online video, accessed 29 May,2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHMrVlUh2Mo
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Wales this Week - Social Services Care Proceedings , online video, accessed 31 May, 2012.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OOrhvWwwrw&feature=related